Opinion: The Mask Mandate Issue

Remote learning students follow all Covid-19 rules when going into the school building and still wear masks like normal students. Disposable masks are some of the most common masks worn by students. (Negative Space)

Recently, the United States has been torn from COVID-19, and the controversial issue with the choice of wearing masks and not wearing masks has been at its core. Some people think we can use our own immune system and that will be enough and some say it’s God’s will if they get or do not get it. The other side believes that masks work and that to keep the number down and escape this pandemic fast, everyone should wear a mask.

While I agree that sometimes masks are needed, such as for people in the medical field who are dealing with the virus directly, they should not be needed in other situations, such as when alone in the car or alone outside or even with a friend group outside sometimes.

Wearing a mask should not decide whether you go over to a friends house or prevent you from doing what you planned on doing, especially alone in a car. However, wearing a mask can be up to you inside in close quarters, if that’s what makes you feel safe then go for it, just do not push it on others to make them now feel uncomfortable.

“I feel like the benefits gained by the masks are not worth the sacrifice of not having it. Individual liberties, businesses, freedoms, are being too restricted by masks.” Says Tobin Foryt.

When compared to roughly the same people per square mile with states who have lifted the mask mandate compared to the states who have the mask mandate, the states that have the mask mandate have shown to have higher deaths, however they do have about the same cases. Although now, when New York compared to Texas, New York has over double the average cases per day.

In my opinion, wearing a mask has no benefit to the state and should be given the power to the owner of the private land, not mandated. Because of the masks, it does restrict freedoms and for me it feels like I’m restricted by what I say sometimes because it is hard to hear through the mask. Wear a mask if you do not feel comfortable, but for me, I do not like wearing it and I feel like a statewide mandate is not necessary.